U.S. patent number 9,084,712 [Application Number 12/415,059] was granted by the patent office on 2015-07-21 for device and method for displaying target indications for foot movements to persons with a walking disorder.
This patent grant is currently assigned to FORCELINK B.V.. The grantee listed for this patent is Peter Jan Beek, Melvyn Roerdink. Invention is credited to Peter Jan Beek, Melvyn Roerdink.
United States Patent |
9,084,712 |
Roerdink , et al. |
July 21, 2015 |
Device and method for displaying target indications for foot
movements to persons with a walking disorder
Abstract
A walking-trainer device for persons with a walking disorder to
relearn walking has a movable tread surface and a display unit for
displaying target indications of the corresponding and consecutive
foot positions for movements made by a person walking on the tread
surface. The target indications have the form of a number of
consecutive patterns located above a target surface at the height
of and in the longitudinal direction of the tread surface moving in
the direction of the person, which visibly move from a distance of
between 0.5 m and 0.5 m, preferably between 15 m and 5 m and more
preferably between 0.7 m and 2.5 m, from the target surface in the
direction of and over the tread surface up to the feet of the
person. The speed of movement of the patterns is substantially
equal to the speed of movement of the tread surface.
Inventors: |
Roerdink; Melvyn (Amsterdam,
NL), Beek; Peter Jan (Amsterdam, NL) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Roerdink; Melvyn
Beek; Peter Jan |
Amsterdam
Amsterdam |
N/A
N/A |
NL
NL |
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|
Assignee: |
FORCELINK B.V. (Jr Culemborg,
NL)
|
Family
ID: |
39888461 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/415,059 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20090246746 A1 |
Oct 1, 2009 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 31, 2008 [NL] |
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1035236 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H
3/00 (20130101); A63B 22/02 (20130101); A63B
22/0235 (20130101); A61B 5/1038 (20130101); A63B
2071/0694 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G09B
23/04 (20060101); A61H 3/00 (20060101); A63B
22/02 (20060101); A61B 5/103 (20060101); A63B
71/06 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;600/595 ;482/54
;435/255 ;382/107 ;340/524 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1 145 682 |
|
Oct 2001 |
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EP |
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1145682 |
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Oct 2001 |
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EP |
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2003-164544 |
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Jun 2003 |
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JP |
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01/14018 |
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Mar 2001 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
US. Appl. No. 11/910,417: Originally Filed Specification of Wolfson
[filed Nov. 1, 2007] [retrieved Oct. 24, 2013]. cited by examiner
.
Netherlands Search Report dated Nov. 7, 2008, from corresponding
Netherlands application. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Utama; Robert J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Young & Thompson
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A walking-trainer device (1), comprising: a movable tread
surface; and an indicator unit (7, 8, 9) for displaying consecutive
target indications on the tread surface, the target indications
corresponding to positions on the tread surface (3) for foot
placement of a person (4) walking on said tread surface, wherein
the target indications have the form of a plurality of consecutive
patterns (15, 16) located on the tread surface and a target surface
(10) at the height of and in a longitudinal direction of the tread
surface, the indicator unit configured to move the target
indications from the target surface (10) in a direction of the
person, wherein the pattern, from a distance of between 0.5 m and
10 m (19.7 inches and 393.7 inches), visibly moves from the target
surface (10) in a direction of and over the tread surface (3) and
up to the feet of the person (4), a speed of movement of the
patterns (15, 16) being substantially equal to a speed of movement
of the tread surface (3).
2. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the
patterns comprise a number of lines (15, 16), a number of which
lies between 1 and 20, each line having a width W of between 1 and
50 cm (0.39 and 19.68 inches) measured in the direction of
movement.
3. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the
target surface (10) has a length (L1) of between 0.5 m and 10 m
(19.7 inches and 393.7 inches), and wherein the target surface is
stationary.
4. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the
tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining the
path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread
surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a
control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of
gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, and wherein the
position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14)
in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.
5. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the
centre of gravity is projected by a projector (8, 9, 14) onto said
tread surface.
6. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the
signal from the sensors (5) is fed to a control unit (7) in order
to control the speed of movement and/or the individual distance of
the paths (16, 17).
7. A method for displaying target indications to a person walking
on a treadmill, comprising the steps of: measuring, via sensors,
the foot positions of the person on said treadmill; determining the
speed of the treadmill; feeding the sensor signals to a control
unit and determining at least one of a step frequency of the person
and a step length of the person; and displaying a plurality of
consecutive lines on a tread surface of the treadmill and on a
target surface that is at a height of and in a longitudinal
direction of the tread surface, the consecutive lines visibly
moving in a direction of the person from a distance of between 0.5
m and 10 m (19.7 inches and 393.7 inches) from the target surface
in a direction of and over the tread surface, a speed of the
consecutive lines corresponding substantially to a speed of the
tread surface of the treadmill.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a distance between
consecutive lines is adjusted on the basis of the step frequency
and/or the step length.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a centre of gravity
position, based on sensor signals of the person, is displayed in
the form of a butterfly-shaped representation on a display
unit.
10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the display of the
lines is set in such a manner that positions between two lines are
located beneath the feet of the person.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the display of the
lines is set in such a manner that positions between two lines are
located beneath the feet of the person.
12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the display of the
lines is set in such a manner that positions between two lines are
located beneath the feet of the person.
13. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 2, wherein
the target surface (10) has a length (L1) of between 0.5 m and 10 m
(19.7 inches and 393.7 inches), and wherein the target surface is
stationary.
14. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 2, wherein
the tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining
the path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread
surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a
control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of
gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, and wherein the
position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14)
in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.
15. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 3, wherein
the tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining
the path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread
surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a
control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of
gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, and wherein the
position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14)
in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.
16. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein
the pattern from a distance between 0.5 m (19.7 inches) and 5 m
(196.8 inches) visibly moves from the target surface (10) in the
direction of and over the tread surface (3) up to the feet of the
person (4).
17. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein
the pattern from a distance between 0.7 m (27.6 inches) and 2.5 m
(98.4 inches) visibly moves from the target surface (10) in the
direction of and over the tread surface (3) up to the feet of the
person (4).
18. The walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 2, wherein
the number of lines is between 3 and 15, and the width W of each of
the lines is between 1 cm and 40 cm (0.39 and 15.75 inches).
19. The method according to claim 7, wherein the consecutive lines
visibly move in the direction of the person from a distance of
between 0.7 m (27.6 inches) and 2.5 m (98.4 inches).
20. A walking-trainer device (1), comprising: a treadmill (2), with
a movable tread surface (3) and a target surface (10) located at a
front end of the tread surface (3) and extending in a longitudinal
direction of the tread surface (3) and co-planar with the tread
surface (3); and an indicator unit (7, 8, 9) that displays
consecutive visible target indications on the tread surface (3),
the indicator unit configured to display the target indications at
locations on the tread surface (3) corresponding to positions on
the tread surface (3) of foot placement of a person (4) walking on
said tread surface (3), wherein the target indications have the
form of a plurality of consecutive patterns (15, 16) that visibly
run along a length of the target surface (10) and the tread surface
(3), the indicator unit configured to cause the patterns (15, 16)
to visibly move from the target surface (10) to the tread surface
(3) in a direction of the person (4) walking on the tread surface
(3), a speed of movement of the patterns (15, 16) being
substantially equal to a speed of movement of the tread surface
(3).
Description
There are various causes for the occurrence of a walking disorder
in persons, which results in the loss of the ability to take
regular steps whilst walking. These persons need to relearn the
ability to walk in a regular manner by training. The invention
relates to a walking device for training a person with a walking
disorder, said walking device being provided with a movable tread
surface and a display unit for displaying target indications of the
corresponding and consecutive foot positions for movements made by
persons walking on the tread surface. The invention also relates to
a method for providing a series of consecutive target indications
for the positions of foot movements of persons with a walking
disorder walking on a treadmill.
A possible cause of a walking disorder can be a cerebral vascular
accident (CVA) or stroke. Damage to parts of the brain and loss of
certain brain functions occurs after a CVA. The may result in the
loss of a person's ability to walk in a regular manner and
symmetrically. It is known that by using a combination of sensory,
tactile proprioscepsis (feedback of information from muscles,
joints and ligaments) and balancing information, other parts of the
brain may assume the functions of the damaged parts of the brain by
training. Patients who need to learn how to walk again after a CVA
are required to learn this by observation, interpretation and by
trial and error. In doing so, it is therefore desirable to provide,
as soon as possible, a large amount of direct sensory input within
a safe environment that retrains the brain to generate correct
impulses in order to be able to walk in a regular manner.
A walking-trainer device to train persons with a walking disability
on a treadmill is known from EP 1 145 682. In order to achieve a
desired walking rhythm and step length, step indications are
displayed to a person placed on a moving treadmill via a monitor
placed opposite the person. The step length is determined by the
duration between two consecutive step indications. Using a force
sensor to determine the stepping moments, the step length and step
frequency can be measured and the belt speed can be adjusted to the
steps. By adjusting the belt speed to the step cycle of the patient
and to his ideal, desired step length, a neurologic impulse is
generated in the patient which effectuates a normal step pattern
with the corresponding correct step length. Patients can thereby
relearn subconsciously to walk symmetrically by repetition. The
known device has the disadvantage that the reality is only
partially reflected by the use of the display unit. This means that
head movements, for example, and observations from the corner of
the eyes, which provide important information in regular walking,
are of no influence (to the training process). Furthermore, the
known device is based on a predetermined ideal step length in order
to control the belt speed, which could result in the fact that the
walking exercise does not optimally reflect the actual walking
ability of the person with a disorder at any given moment.
Another training device for training patients suffering from
Parkinson's disease is known from JP2003164544 and includes a
walker on which a display is mounted, and a number of light
elements above the tread surface, so that lines of light can be
projected as target indications in front of the patient's feet.
Because the patient supports himself with his arms on the walker
whilst walking, the walking pattern changes and so natural walking
is only reflected to a limited degree. In addition, pushing the
walker causes inconsistencies in the learning process. Furthermore,
the vision of the patient is restricted whilst walking by the
screen placed in front of him, a relatively large amount of space
is required to provide the patient with the required freedom of
movement and the patient is not easily observed by the
therapist.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device and method for
providing target indications for foot movements of persons with a
walking disorder, wherein the actual walking situation is simulated
as accurately as possible. It is also an object of the invention to
provide a device and method wherein the movements of the head and
eyes of the person walking contribute to the learning process. It
is an additional object to provide a device and method by which a
walking pattern can be learned in a quick, safe and comfortable
manner by persons with a walking disorder.
To achieve this, the device according to the invention is
characterized in that the target indications have the form of a
number of consecutive patterns (15, 16) located above a target
surface (10) at the height of and in the longitudinal direction of
the tread surface moving in the direction of the person, which,
from a distance of between 0.5 m and 10 m, preferably between 0.5
and 5 m, with even greater preference between 0.7 m and 2.5,
visibly move from the target surface (10) up to and over the tread
surface (3) and up to the feet of the person (4), wherein the speed
of movement of the patterns (15, 16) is substantially equal to the
speed of movement of the tread surface (3).
The person walking over the tread surface sees a moving pattern,
preferably a zebra pattern of illuminated lines at a relatively
large distance, coming towards him and can therefore anticipate the
position in which he will place his feet on or between said
pattern. The pattern of lines moving towards the person with the
speed of the belt via the target surface and the tread surface can
be used to achieve a natural effect and so also enable the person
to process information originating from head movements and from
sensory input obtained by a natural and spatial observation. It is
anticipated that it is possible, in this manner, to relearn a
regular walking pattern very quickly. Because the person standing
on the treadmill does not move in the spatial environment, the
walking exercises can be performed with the device according to the
invention on a relatively small surface, thus enabling close
observation by a therapist.
The tread surface of the device according to the invention can be
an actively or passively driven treadmill. By constructing this
treadmill relatively long, the tread surface can be formed by the
treadmill portion which extends in front of the person. On the
other hand, the target surface may also be static and may comprise
a horizontal plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the
treadmill. The belts moving over the target surface can be
projected onto the target surface by a projection means, from an
upper side or from a lower side of the surface. It is also possible
for the target surface to be provided with active light elements
such as LEDs, or that the pattern is projected onto the target
surface by laser means.
The number of belts that a persons sees projected in front of him
depends on the length of the projection surface extending in front
of the person, the belt speed and step frequency. The width (W) of
the belts is adjustable from a line to an area in which the foot
fits, depending on the therapeutic objective of the therapist.
In one embodiment the number of belts amounts to between 1 and 20,
preferably between 3 and 15, wherein the belts have a width, in the
direction of movement, of between 10 and 50 cm, preferably between
1 and 40 cm.
Because the person with a walking disability can anticipate the
step to be taken based on the approaching light belts, a positive
learning effect may be achieved. Furthermore, the width of the
belts is preferably relatively large so that the person will not
easily miss the belt when deviations in the step length occur.
In a preferred embodiment, the tread surface is equipped with
sensors for measuring a unit of force exerted by the person on the
tread surface as he walks.
The signal from the sensors can be fed to a control unit, which
then calculates a position of the centre of gravity of a person
walking on the tread surface, whereby the position of the centre of
gravity is fed to a display unit in order to be displayed in
relation to the person walking.
By displaying the position of the centre of gravity, either by
means of projection onto the tread surface, or by display on a
monitor, the therapist can intervene and adjust the relative
distance of the light belts in order to eliminate asymmetry in the
walking pattern. Furthermore, if the person performing the exercise
lags behind, this can be detected by determining the centre of
pressure in relation to the belt and the belt speed can be
decreased.
The method for providing target indications to a person on a
treadmill according to the invention comprises the steps of:
measuring the foot positions of the person on said treadmill by
sensor means, determining the speed of the treadmill, feeding the
sensor signals to a control unit and determining the step frequency
or step length, and displaying a number of consecutive belts
located above a target surface at the height of and in the
longitudinal direction of the tread surface moving in the direction
of the person, which visibly move in the direction of the person
from a distance of between 0.5 m and 10 m, preferably between 0.5 m
and 5 m, more preferably between 0.7 m and 2.5 m, from the target
surface up to and over the tread surface, the belt speed of which
corresponds substantially to the speed of the treadmill.
After the belt pattern has been adjusted by the control unit to the
natural step length of the person by processing the sensor signals
and belt speed, the therapist can intervene by adjusting the
individual distance of the lines. This can be done simply by
operating the arrow keys for more (up) or less (down) symmetry, or
by using a "drag bar" whereby the length of two bars on a display
show the degree of asymmetry in the steps, or by an algorithm
which, for example, adjusts the symmetry from 15% to 5% in an N
number of steps.
With regard to the numerical indication of asymmetry in terms of
step length and step time, it is preferable for the symmetry to be
determined by displaying the contour of the centre of gravity of
the person whilst walking. As will be set forth in a detailed
description of the accompanying figures, this has the shape of a
butterfly, thus enabling the therapist to adjust the step
parameters quickly and intuitively.
A device and method according to the invention will now be
described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying
drawing. In the drawing:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a walking-trainer device according
to the invention,
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the device according to FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 shows a butterfly-shaped contour of the centre of gravity,
and
FIG. 4 shows a typical belt pattern for compensating asymmetry in
the step, and
FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of the pattern of belts by
the control unit.
FIG. 1 shows a training device 1 for persons with a walking
disorder to relearn to walk symmetrically. The training device 1
comprises a treadmill 2 which is driven by a motor 6. The treadmill
2 has a tread surface 3 on which the person 4 walks. A number of
sensors 5 are located beneath the tread surface 3, which are
connected with a control unit 7. A target surface 10 is located in
the longitudinal direction of the treadmill 2 which, as far as
height and appearance are concerned, connects seamlessly with the
tread surface. A number of projectors 8, 9 are mounted above the
target surface 10 which project a pattern of consecutive belts onto
the target surface 10 and onto the tread surface 3, such that these
belts move with a speed Vb, which is equal to the treadmill belt
speed Vl in the direction of the person 4.
In an alternative embodiment, the target surface 10 is formed by
the extension of the treadmill 2 which, in this case, extends a
relatively large distance in front of the person.
The projectors 8, 9 are connected to the control unit 7, which can
control the width W of the light belts, the speed Vb over the
target surface 10 and the tread surface 3, and the individual
distance between the light belts. In addition, the motor 6 is
connected to the control unit 7 for determining and adjusting the
speed Vl of the treadmill. The control unit 7 is connected via an
output to a monitor 12 for displaying walking pattern parameters
such as the step length and step frequency of the person 4 and the
position of the centre of gravity Cg of the person, which is
calculated on the basis of the signals produced by the sensors 5.
The therapist can adjust the speed of the treadmill 2 using a
keyboard 13, and, accordingly, adjust the pattern of light belts (V
speed, distance and width).
A projector 14 can be used to project the position of the centre of
gravity Cg of the person 4 on the treadmill 2 calculated by the
control unit 7. It is also possible for the projectors 8, 9 and 14
to be implemented as an integrated projector unit.
FIG. 2 shows a top view of the tread surface 3 and the target
surface 10. The light belts 15, 16 have, for example, a width W of
20 cm and a lateral dimension D of 50 cm. The individual distance
.DELTA..sub.l, .DELTA..sub.r is, for example, in the absence of
asymmetry, 70 cm and the speed Vb in the direction of the person 4
is, for example, 1.5 m/s. The length L1 of the target surface 10
and the length L2 of the portion of the tread surface 3 extending
in front of the person, and onto which the light belts 15, 16 are
projected is, for example, 3 m. The number of light belts 15, 16
is, for example, 4 belts.
The symmetry of the walking pattern of the person 4 can be
manipulated by adjusting the individual distance .DELTA..sub.l,
.DELTA..sub.r between two light belts by the therapist. If the
person 4 shows an asymmetric walking after suffering from a CVA,
for example, the person can be trained to develop a more
symmetrical walking pattern by varying the distance .DELTA..sub.l,
.DELTA..sub.r between the light belts. To achieve this, the
therapist adjusts the individual distance .DELTA..sub.l,
.DELTA..sub.r between the light belts via the keyboard (or other
input device, such as a light pen or voice-activated command).
FIG. 3 shows the image on the monitor 12 of the locus of the center
of gravity Cg of the person 4 on the tread surface 3. During the
standing phase of the left leg, whilst the foot is placed on the
treadmill, the Cg moves backwards along the path B-A until the
right foot lands on the treadmill (A). During this so-called
`double-support phase`, in which both feet are placed on the
treadmill, the Cg moves from point A in the direction of point E,
which is reached once the left foot leaves the ground. During the
subsequent standing phase of the right leg, the Cg moves backwards
together with the foot along the path E-D until the left foot is
placed (point D) on the treadmill again. During the double-support
phase (path D-B), the Cg moves to the front left position until the
right foot is lifted from the treadmill (point B). In this manner,
the locus of the centre of gravity forms a butterfly shaped figure,
the symmetry of which is a direct visual measure of the symmetry of
the steps taken by the person 4. This butterfly figure, which is
displayed on the monitor 12, can be used by the therapist to
quickly and effectively adjust the distance .DELTA. l, .DELTA. r
between the light belts to obtain a symmetrical pattern.
FIG. 4 shows a typical pattern of left (L) and right (R) hand light
belts for a person with an asymmetrical walking pattern
(.DELTA..sub.l=60 cm, .DELTA..sub.r=40 cm).
FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of how the pattern of the light
belts is determined in the control unit 7.
In step 20, the belt speed of the treadmill 2 is adjusted, for
example, by the therapist using the keyboard 13. Subsequently, in
step 21 the foot positions are measured via the sensors 5 and the
step frequency and step lengths .DELTA.l, .DELTA.r are determined
in step 22.
Based on the left step length and right step length and the step
frequency, in step 23 the light belts are projected onto the target
surface 10 and tread surface 3, whereby the speed of the belts Vb
corresponds to the treadmill speed Vl and the distances .DELTA. l,
.DELTA. r correspond to the step lengths of the right step and left
step. After intervention by the therapist (step 24), the relative
distances .DELTA..sub.l, .DELTA..sub.r are immediately adjusted
(step 26), so that, for example, a change in the symmetry or step
frequency of the person can be achieved.
* * * * *